Hello! I love eggplant parmesan. It’s a great winter/comfort meal, but it’s really almost better in the summer with fresh garden eggplant, fresh basil and a light tomato sauce. I’m sharing my version, which is gluten free and vegan. I will admit, although good, it will never compare to my two favorite versions from my Mom, and Kyle’s Gram (two tiny little Italian cooking rockstars!) You’d have to go to Connecticut to get those recipes… but for now, you’re stuck with this one…. enjoy!
1 medium eggplant
2 cups marinara sauce of your choice, homemade or a nice jarred selection
2 TBS plus of fresh basil, carefully sliced
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
3 TBS ground flax
9 TBS water
2 cups (approx) gluten free breadcrumbs
EVOO
Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and chop your basil then set aside. Now you’re ready to make your dredging stations. Use a divided dish (like my amazing family heirloom in the picture below) or just use 2 separate bowls, and make the flax “egg” on one side, and the breadcrumbs on the other.
For the flax egg, mix the ground flax and 9 TBS water together and let set for a couple minutes. It will become sticky and have an eggy consistency. On the breadcrumb side, add the breadcrumbs and sprinkle in some garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Mix with a fork.
Now you can get the eggplant ready for the stations. Wash & dry the eggplant then cut in about 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Sprinkle the rounds with a little salt, then they’re ready to dip.
Spray a large sheet pan with EVOO spray and set aside. Dip the eggplant rounds in the flax egg, then coat with the breadcrumbs, then carefully place on the baking sheet.
Drizzle the eggplant with some EVOO then bake for about 20 minutes, checking to make sure they don’t burn. They will be nice & crispy and golden brown.
Keep the oven on, and now grab a baking dish. Put a couple spoonfuls of sauce down on the bottom of the baking dish, then add in some eggplant rounds. Top the eggplant with some basil and vegan mozzarella, then add a dollop of sauce on top and continue the layers.
Finish with sauce and then vegan mozzarella as the last topping. Baking for 10-20 more minutes until warm and bubbling.
